


Absence Keenly Felt

by LiterallyThePresident



Category: Mass Effect: Andromeda
Genre: F/M, Plague
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-30
Updated: 2017-06-30
Packaged: 2018-11-21 13:47:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,663
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11358753
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LiterallyThePresident/pseuds/LiterallyThePresident
Summary: A plague ravages Kadara, and Sloane Kelly isn't too affected until it strikes close to her heart.





	Absence Keenly Felt

Of all the things that could have happened this week, a fucking plague sweeping through Kadara was not number one on Sloane Kelly's Things-I-Want-To-Happen list. Within a week, half the population was infected. Medbays filled up faster than they could accommodate, the occasional body lay untouched in some alley, Kaetus was working overtime trying to keep the people from rioting. Half of Sloane's people were looking for a cure, the other half were making sure no one else did. She wasn't going to share the profit.

People of course came to her for help, and she told them she was doing everything she could. They offered to pay her for special treatment, and she took their credits and told them exactly what she told everyone else. When people got rowdy, Kaetus threw them out. It was all standard. It was all a problem to be solved. An incredibly annoying problem to be solved. Especially when it brought wannabe advisors to her totally-not-a-throne-room to annoy her. This one human had come to her often, full of useless advice and stupid ideas.

"If you could simply allocate some of your guards to the slums, we can contain the spread." the slimy human suggested for the fifth time in three days. Sloane closed her eyes in irritation.

"For the last time, I'm not going to risk-" Something clattering loudly to the floor caught her attention. Resisting the urge to heave a sigh, she turned her narrowed gaze the the source. To her surprise, it was Kaetus. He stood staring down at a dropped datapad with an odd expression, like he was confused.

"Kaetus?" Sloane asked testily, noticing with subtle concern how his mandibles quivered.

"I..." Kaetus blinked, swaying slightly, "I think I'm..." his knees gave out on him before he could finish the sentence, and he collapsed to the floor with a pained sound.

"Kaetus!?" Sloane leapt off her chair, rushing to kneel beside him, audience be damned, "Kaetus, what's wrong? Kaetus?" He didn't respond, and Sloane felt ice form in her veins when she recognized the hoarse breaths and trembling, beginning symptoms of the plague.

"Kaetus, damn it, look at me you idiot!" she snapped, turning his slack face towards her none too gently, "Kaetus, I swear, if you don't cut this bullshit _right now_ -"

"Miss Kelly." and suddenly there was a medic at her side, startling her out of whatever rant she'd been about to slip into, "Please, with respect, I need to take him to the medbay." Kaetus was shaking, involuntary little tremors wracking his body. Sloane nodded, but before the doctor could take Kaetus from her, she grabbed him by the collar, yanking him close to her face.

"If that damned turian dies," she hissed, "I will kill your entire medical staff, starting with you. Am I being clear?"

"Crystal, ma'am." he gulped, seeing nothing but the truth in her eyes. She shoved him away with a hissed go, and as he scrambled away she turned back to the gathered audience.

"Get out." she ordered, gathering her weapon to follow the doctor and Kaetus, "All of you, get out. Meeting's over, I won't hear another word."

\---

A month passed, and the plague raged on. Victims died, more were infected, and Sloane was feeling Kaetus' absence keenly. The people of Kadara Port marveled at Sloane's sudden turnaround, how seemingly overnight she'd become obsessed with curing the plague. No one was allowed to rest, no breaks were tolerated. Time spent slacking was time that could be spent finding a cure. She was even offering to collaborate with others. Sloane herself was out in the field, collecting data and making deals with a look of grim determination.

She visited Kaetus when she could, even allowing a few underlings to take minor tasks from her so she could spend a few hours at his side. His carapace had turned sickly and flaky as his condition worsened, his mandibles occasionally flared in some pained dream but other than that he remained motionless. His breaths rattled in his chest, helped only by the respiratory mask she'd taken from another patient whose illness was further along, perfectly willing to let to let another life end to prolong Kaetus'.

There were others in the same state and worse, but Sloane only had eyes for him. Her turian had never been one for speeches, but his silence was driving her mad.

"I've had enough of this." she muttered on the tenth day of his infirmity, lowering herself into the chair next to his bed that had become her spot, "You need to stop being so weak and brush this damned sickness off. My right-hand turian is supposed to be the best."

Kaetus, of course, didn't answer. He never did.

"I don't like doing science and shit." she continued, voice low to avoid eavesdroppers, "You know I don't. I'm only making these exceptions because it's you. And speaking of exceptions, the sheer nerve of you astounds me, forcing me to throw all my resources at finding a damned cure. This could have been a profitable opportunity if you had just been smart." He didn't even twitch, and Sloane was seized with the urge to touch him. She glanced around quickly, and seeing no witnesses, she took his hand in hers. It was limp and too warm, trembling almost imperceptibly, but she held it firmly.

"You asshole." she muttered, running her thumb over the back of his hand, "This damned galaxy isn't worth it if you aren't in it." This was usually the part where he said something witty, where he teased her for being sappy, where he gave her that smile. She'd underestimated how badly she relied on his presence, and once her people found the cure she was going to make sure she never made that mistake again. Stars help her, but she was in love with the bastard, the one weakness she'd ever allow herself.

"Kaetus..." she started, but a voice interrupted her.

"Miss Kelly!" the doctor called, and she quickly dropped Kaetus' hand, "Miss Kelly, we've done it!"

The cure had been found.

\---

Kadara was singing her praises, but for once she wasn't basking in it. She did her speech, played the crowd, blah blah whatever. The moment the doors closed behind her and the joyous celebration of the crowd was quieted, she walked as quickly as she could to the medbay. The many victims were in various states of recovery, the medbay slowly clearing out, but she only had eyes for one of them. Her right hand turian was sitting up, waving the doctor away and looking as grumpy as ever. He still looked like shit, but a bit more lively. He looked up at her approach, tired amber eyes brightening just a little.

"Sloane, I hear you're the hero of the hour." he managed to joke even with his voice still weakened. Something in her chest loosened at his voice, at the physical proof that he would be alright.

"Kaetus Eudoril, you are in so much trouble." Sloane glared as she made her way to his bedside. With him sitting down, they were about eye level. The doctor left them alone without Sloane having to say anything, and she made a mental note to give him a few days off.

"Ooh, full name. You must be upset." he dared to touch her arm gently, and the fact that she didn't shake it off was all the proof he needed, "I'm sorry. My getting sick must have been inconvenient for you."

"Fucking terrifying, more like." she gritted out, "I hope you like my room because you aren't leaving it for the next few days. Then it's back to work, and I've deliberately let it pile up as payback for ruining my plans." Kaetus laughed, even if the action made him cough. The medbay had cleared out for the most part, with only a few patients sleeping soundly. Just to be safe, Sloane put up a privacy screen, cutting them off from the world for a bit.

"So," Kaetus said once she'd returned to her seat, far too smug for someone whose carapace was still flaking, "I hear you were running everyone into the ground searching for a cure."

"Don't." she warned, letting him take her hand nonetheless.

"And that you checked on me all the time." he continued, rubbing the back of her hand with his thumb in the same manner she had to him, "And that you ordered me to be the first to be given the cure."

"I swear to god, Kaetus." she scowled, her heart growing lighter and lighter with each unhindered breath he took.

"And the security cameras caught everything you said to me these last ten days." his smirk was insufferable, "I listened to them."

"What?" Sloane stiffened, "You're lying!"

"Don't worry, I deleted them. No one's blackmailing Sloane Kelly." he assured her with a pat on her hand, "But they'll remain fondly in my memory. What was it you said? 'This damned galaxy isn't worth it if you aren't in it'?"

"I'll murder you!" she hissed, "I can't believe I missed you, I should have just let you die." Kaetus smiled, both of them knowing damn well she didn't mean a word of it.

"I'm touched, Sloane." he said, "I know you care but it is nice to hear it sometimes."

"Of course I care, idiot." she grumbled, bringing his hand to her lips, "There are days you're the only thing in this galaxy worth caring about."

"Careful, Kadara might get jealous." his mandibles flared at her uncharacteristic display of affection, the proof that his brush with death had affected her. She smirked at him, squeezing his hand, clearly not letting go any time soon.

"Let it." she said, "I'll be focusing entirely on you for the next few days."

"What did I do to deserve this?" he shook his head, and for the first time since he'd collapsed, Sloane Kelly laughed.

**Author's Note:**

> Eudoril is my headcanon for Kaetus' last name since I don't think he has one in canon. I love these two and wish there was more stuff for them.


End file.
